The criminal case
DUI penalties in Hawaii
The offense, qualifying priors and statutory conditions matter—not just an arrest count.
DUI penalties in Hawaii depend on the charged offense and its statutory conditions. Prior convictions, their dates, and aggravating factors may change the applicable rule. An arrest count alone does not establish the offense tier, and a minimum sentence is not the complete sentencing range. The cited rules below are not predictions of a particular case’s outcome.
The lookback period
- How far back priors count
- Not published yet. We show a figure only once it has been confirmed against the official source and dated.This varies widely between states — from a few years to a lifetime — so it is not safe to assume a national figure.
Penalty rules by offense number
- First offense
- Base first offense: 14-hour-minimum substance-abuse program; 12–18 months license revocation and interlock; plus one or more of 72 hours community service, 48 hours–5 days jail, or a $250–$1,000 fine.
- Surcharges and assessment/treatment requirements are additional. Highly intoxicated drivers and adult drivers with a passenger younger than 15 face added penalties.
- Interlock permits have eligibility restrictions. The statute provides conditional early termination and a separate rule for a person unable to install an interlock or drive.
- Second offense
- A qualifying repeat offense within 10 years: at least 36 hours of substance-abuse programming; 2–3 years license revocation with interlock; a $1,000–$3,000 fine; and either at least 240 hours community service or 5–30 days jail.
- At least 48 hours of any jail term must be consecutive. Surcharges, treatment and aggravated-offense additions apply separately.
- Highly intoxicated drivers and adult drivers with a passenger younger than 15 face added penalties; interlock-permit eligibility is not automatic.
- Third offense
- Not published yet. We show a figure only once it has been confirmed against the official source and dated.
Driving privileges, ignition interlock and insurance requirements need separate review under their own rules. A commercial-driving restriction may have different triggers from a restriction on an ordinary licence. No consequence is assumed merely because it appears in this list.
- Ignition interlock, first offense
- Not published yet. We show a figure only once it has been confirmed against the official source and dated.
The two legal questions
The criminal charge and driving privileges can involve different proceedings. The notice, order and cited rule identify the applicable process.
Driving privileges
The licence case
- Forum
- The agency or court identified by the applicable licence proceeding
- Clock
- Check the applicable notice or order for the deadline and its starting event
- Deadline to request a hearing
- For the initial hearing schedule, the director must receive the hearing request within 6 days of the date the administrative review decision is mailed.
- This follows an administrative review affirming the revocation. The six-day period runs from mailing of that review decision, not from the arrest or the original revocation notice.
- A separate late-hearing route allows a request within 60 days of issuance of the original notice of administrative revocation. That is a different trigger, not an extension of the six-day period from the review decision.
- Suspension under the cited rule
- Not published yet. We show a figure only once it has been confirmed against the official source and dated.
Criminal charge
The criminal case
- Forum
- A criminal court
- Clock
- Check court notices and orders; no case duration is predicted here
- Alcohol-concentration threshold
- Not published yet. We show a figure only once it has been confirmed against the official source and dated.
- First-offense penalty rule
- Base first offense: 14-hour-minimum substance-abuse program; 12–18 months license revocation and interlock; plus one or more of 72 hours community service, 48 hours–5 days jail, or a $250–$1,000 fine.
- Surcharges and assessment/treatment requirements are additional. Highly intoxicated drivers and adult drivers with a passenger younger than 15 face added penalties.
- Interlock permits have eligibility restrictions. The statute provides conditional early termination and a separate rule for a person unable to install an interlock or drive.